Spectacular opening ceremony for Youth Sports Festival

Chinthana WASALA reporting from Badulla

A spectacular opening ceremony marked the inauguration of the 21st National Youth Sports Festival here at the picturesque Vincent Dias Stadium in Badulla yesterday with the participation of 3,000 competitors representing all the districts in the country for the first time.

The Youth Sports Festival which is considered as the best opportunity for the young sportsmen and women to enter the National arena was inaugurated when the Olympic Lamp was lit by the 400m. Asian Games medallist Prasanna Sampath Amarasekera and a National Athlete who hails from the Uva Province Sherin Clarence.

Special drills and dancers along with various cultural programs were performed by the artistes from the Youth Services Council followed by a spectacular cultural display while fire crackers were lit offering a great experience for the large crowd which filled the audiences.

The march past was also a colourful one which featured bands from schools from the respective districts. The special display performed by the Veddhas and a spectacular fire cracker display also caught the eyes of the large gathering who were present to witness the opening ceremony despite rainy weather.

Organized by the National Youth Services Council, Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Sri Lanka Federation of Youth Clubs, the meet is probably the best ever.

Organizers had brought down young men and women from Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi Districts to witness the event along with the participants from those districts this year.

Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala de Silva graced the opening ceremony as the chief guest while Minister of Youth Affairs Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Director General, Chairman, National Youth Services Council Bhashwara Senanka Gunaratne and Deputy Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Suresh Vadivel were the guests of honour.